Le Musée des Égouts de Paris

"Crime, intelligence, social protest, liberty of conscience, thought, theft, all that human laws pursue or have pursued, have hidden in this hole..." (Les Miserables; Jean Valjean, Book II, ch 2).

I don't know what possessed me to go on this tour, but guess what, it smells like a sewer. With the imminent release of the long-awaited blockbuster version of Les Miserables, I thought it was the perfect time to see the escape route imagined by Victor Hugo in his novel. And while it is tourist ready, it wasn't terribly interesting.

You are basically on a self-guided tour walking through several sections of tunnels under the city streets and along the Seine River. There are exhibits of how the Paris sewer system was constructed and is maintained to this day. Some machinery, a few photos and an artistic rendering of Jean Valjean carrying Marius at one point.

Probably my favorite part was the glum staff member at the counter of the miniscule shop at the end of the line with stuffed rats hanging from the ceiling. That must be a fun job.

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This museum is part of the Paris Museum Pass.
Photography permitted.

Looking for something else to do that probably won't have a line?? Try hopping into the sewers and learning an underground history.

Now this is probably more well suited for some than others, but I found it fascinating. The history of getting clean water to the city -- to prevent disease and plague -- the the problems with the waste water. The design was genius and ahead of its time. 50 years to complete it... And now working just fine. And of course the inspector who was friends with Victor Hugo, who mapped the sewer system... Wow... Crazy. And that scene in Les Mis... Yup it was from a first hand account...

Ok. So it is a working sewer. So it is stinky.... And they should you the tools to dredge the canals... And the protective gear... And the big ball that they push through the sewer to effectively unclog it... And you see all the trash that comes in just from the rain water --- really??? Put it in a trash can!!!

So there's a ton of history. Machinery. And stories. So depends if you want to see another side of Paris... FYI hop on a metro and go to the Perfume museum right after this tour ;)

An interesting look into the history of the Parisian sewer system accompanied by a very real stench.

All I could think about the entire time was the possibility of someone falling in.

When I first heard about this museum during our Paris trip planning I really wanted to visit because it was so unique. Glad that we did not skip this.

The museum is interesting and requires a lot of reading for those that want to learn everything. It covers how and way the Paris sewers were established and how they work. Very interesting stuff. You even get to see some swords that were found in the sewer (really cool), learn about an alligator that was found in the 80s, and did I say that the museum is actually in the sewer? Yes, the place stinks a bit (what do you expect?) and breathing in the smell isn't fantastic but hey, it's authenic! It didn't bother me a whole lot after a while.

The sewer museum is covered by the Paris Museum Pass and is worth a visit. It takes about an hour to do the museum and read everything.

What happens to all that good Parisian food at the end of the day? It ends up here in the sewers.

I really wanted to like this place as an antidote to the overflowing architectural beauty along Quai d'Orsay. It sounds like a great idea, to see the sordid underbelly of Paris as made famous by Victor Hugo. Unfortunately the museum is oddly laid out and the signage is difficult to read in some cases. The place could use a few more large schematics illustrating exactly how the large machinery works. There are washrooms at the end, which seems a bit redundant.

It is a bit stinky in some sections since you are walking on platforms overseeing flowing sewage. The tour in its entirety should take no more than 30 minutes even if you linger over every water reclamation placard.

Easy to find on the left bank side of the Pont de l'Alma.

Not as extensive as I had envisioned. Some good displays (e.g., huge iron ball they roll through sewer tunnels to unclog the mess) and areas where you see the raw sewage running below your feet.

Though not over-powering, there was a sewerish smell down there. You'll definitely want to take a shower after you visit.

The initial smell as you descend the stairs soon becomes normal.A strange tour but well worth it.the tour is limited to a small area as the sewers are vast. There is some old machinery from the last century that used to power the pumps.It is remarkably clean and there is a gift shop where i bought a t shirt that says i visited the sewers of Paris.before the tours visitors used to ride along in boats, which i dont really fancy.Just imagine if you capsized!